Wednesday September 23, 2026 at 2:41pm
Great Britain produced an outstanding team performance to claim silver at the 2026 FIM Long Track of Nations in Roden, the Netherlands, narrowly missing out on retaining their world title after a technical problem struck in the decisive Final.
The British quartet of reigning individual Long Track World Champion Zach Wajtknecht, Chris Harris, James Shanes and Jake Mulford were the standout performers throughout the qualifying heats at the Speed Centre Roden, topping the standings with an impressive 65 points from a possible 72.
After leading the competition for much of the afternoon, Great Britain progressed to the Final as the highest-scoring nation, where they faced hosts the Netherlands for the coveted FIM Long Track of Nations crown.
Unfortunately, their hopes of securing back-to-back titles were dealt a decisive blow when Harris suffered a technical problem while challenging at the front of the Final. Despite the setback, Wajtknecht and Shanes battled on to secure an excellent silver medal for Great Britain, with the Netherlands taking victory by the narrowest of margins, eight points to seven.
British Team Sets the Early Pace
Great Britain began their title defence in commanding fashion, with Wajtknecht, Harris and Shanes filling the first three positions in their opening race against Finland to record a maximum score.
That impressive start continued in the second block when Harris led home Wajtknecht and Mulford against France for another maximum.
Wajtknecht, Harris and Shanes maintained the momentum against Denmark, completing another clean sweep, before Mulford returned to the line-up as Britain recorded a fourth consecutive maximum against Norway.
It was an exceptional opening run from the defending champions and established Great Britain as the team to beat.
The Netherlands eventually brought Britain's perfect sequence to an end, defeating the reigning champions by the narrow margin of eight points to seven. However, the British riders quickly responded when it mattered.
In their final qualifying race, Great Britain defeated Germany 10-5 to secure their place in the Final. Wajtknecht delivered one of the performances of the meeting as he became the first rider of the afternoon to defeat Germany's previously unbeaten Lukas Fienhage.
The result left Great Britain at the top of the qualifying standings on 65 points, six clear of the Netherlands on 59.
Technical Issue Ends British Title Hopes
With France assured of the bronze medal, Great Britain and the Netherlands lined up for a winner-takes-all Final.
Dutch rider Dave Meijerink made the start, but Harris immediately put himself into contention in second place ahead of Wajtknecht and Shanes.
The British challenge was looking strong as Harris fought for the lead, but at the end of the second lap his machine suddenly slowed, forcing him to pull out with a technical issue.
Reduced to two scoring riders, Great Britain faced an uphill battle. Wajtknecht and Shanes continued to fight and held second and third, but Meijerink's victory, supported by Romano Hummel and Mika Meijer in fourth and fifth, gave the Netherlands an 8-7 victory and the title.
Although the technical problem denied Great Britain the opportunity to successfully defend their crown, silver represented another superb international result for the ACU British Long Track team.
After dominating much of the meeting, winning their opening four contests with maximum scores and finishing qualification as the highest-scoring nation, Wajtknecht, Harris, Shanes and Mulford once again demonstrated the strength of British Long Track racing on the world stage.
2026 FIM Long Track of Nations
Gold: Netherlands
Silver: Great Britain – Zach Wajtknecht, Chris Harris, James Shanes and Jake Mulford
Bronze: France
Images: Jesper Veldhuizen